


Touhou Secret Santa 2016: Sakuya Makes a Blood Pact

by fremy (nuenuenue)



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Blood Magic, Dark Comedy, Drinking, F/F, Gen, Horny Ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 23:40:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9043259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nuenuenue/pseuds/fremy
Summary: Being the perfect maid is tough. Why not perform blood magic with some drunk Gensokyo residents and almost ruin your life instead?For Touhou Secret Santa 2016 and cloudytian!





	

**Author's Note:**

> not exactly the kind of concept you'd expect for a secret santy right??????????? this is a secret santa fic for cloudytian! MERRY CHRISTMAS ITS WEIRD. ITS CHRISTMAS.
> 
> http://touhousecretsanta.tumblr.com/  
> http://cloudytian.tumblr.com/
> 
> I went with the following concepts from your wishlist after trying and failing at several other ideas:  
> \- overworked white-haired stage 5 bosses  
> \- sakuali and yuyueiki  
> \- intended to be a pastiche of dowman sayman and zounose, or at least in the same tone  
> \- "cheerily creepy" and "unabashedly absurdist" were the themes of the day
> 
> I hope you enjoy it! its very long. I thought that would be appreciated.

* * *

 

For as long as I can remember, whenever I got stressed out, I wanted to form a blood pact.

Wait, let me explain.

Hey! Listen, that might sound wrong, or heinous, or baffling or disgusting or whatever you want to call it, but I never actually went _through_ with it when I was younger. Just... you know? Things get bad, trouble hits, you decide you want to make a blood sacrifice to something to help you out. Or you could bind someone to yourself in a pact, and make them deal with your problems too.

This is the kind of thing you start to fantasize about when you have to be strong and independent all the time. Instead of helping everyone else, they HAVE to help you. Anyone in the pact can't get out sticking with you through the hard times. It's in the fine print. Nobody ever reads the fine print.

In retrospect, this kind of morbid thinking might be why I was drawn to the Scarlet Devil Mansion in the first place, so it's ironic that it would end up burning me this hard... Really though, it's not a big deal. It's healthy and normal to need a bit of escapism.

What?

 

* * *

 

Remilia was driving me, pardon my language, out of my right fucking mind.

It helps to be able to say that in hindsight. It's a good way to explain (justify) what happened (how I messed up). A few weeks ago, her meddling was at an all time peak – she was in one of those moods where she gets anxious over every little thing and takes it out on me so she can keep looking calm and collected.

She kept sending me off to “solve” incidents we had no need to participate in, having me prepare meals weeks in advance, making me work overtime cleaning after Tupai's escape attempts. I'm sure she was setting that thing free just to bother me. And that's not to mention the spying on the religious factions of Gensokyo, constantly rounding up guests for her increasingly frequent parties, and my usual cleaning duties! I hadn't even had time to see Alice lately to burn off some stress.

The physical strain wasn't a problem, but the scheduling was. My mind was running on fumes and Remilia was not helping.

So one night when my patience had run out, I absconded to drink my cares into oblivion at the night sparrow's stand.

Don't judge me. She was enjoying herself by handing me all the stress, so I deserved to have a bit of fun as recompense. I don't usually reach the excesses that the mistress somehow tops with every debauch, nor do I do it as frequently. I deserved this.

Well, once I sat down there, I felt the tunnel vision set in as I threw back bowl after bowl of sake. Maybe going wild just this once would be all I needed. I only paused occasionally to order some of Mystia's rancid meat offerings, so that the sparrow would keep pouring out the alcohol.

Far too many drinks later, I finally felt my mood start to lift. I started feeling chatty. It was time to get this off of my chest. Looking around the stall for anyone drunk enough to commiserate – the sparrow had stopped looking my way when I began serving myself alcohol from the bar– I noticed the two other individuals there looked just as miserable as me. _Perfect._

I cleared my throat to get their attention, but they were clearly too absorbed in their own drinks to notice.

“Miss Futo. Miss Konpaku.”

They both snapped out of it and glanced my way nervously. There we go.

“Aren't we a sad bunch drinking our worries away here?”

The two girls sighed in unison.

“Well, speak up. Let's hear what's going on with you two.”

“Mistress is-!!” they both began at once, and they talked over each other.

The bloated ghost was working Youmu like a dog with all of the menial tasks she had for housekeeping around Hakugyokurou. Topiary work, the lawn care, tree trimming, yard work, shrub pruning, grass snipping – the same things, over and over, multiple times per day. She wasn't sure if Yuyuko was a perfectionist or a sadist for making her work this hard to achieve nothing. Her phantom half wobbled in tired agreement.

The bloated ego was coming down hard on Futo to deepen her hermetic studies. Futo wanted to take it a bit easier, having just woken from a millennium-long slumber and all, but Miko was insistent that she set a good example for new students of Taoism (who were few and far between). The spiritual atmosphere in Senkai was absolutely stifling. Futo felt like she was choking on all of the Three Treasures at once.

For my part, I sympathized with them and interjected my wit when possible. Mostly, I waited my turn to air my grievances.

At the end, we took a toast. “To health, sanity, and clarity. And to our mistresses not bothering us constantly.”

Then we drank.

Then we drank a whole lot more.

The bugs went to sleep and the night sparrow went home and there we were, drunkenly stumbling along a path in the dark. Then I blacked out.

 

* * *

 

I woke up in my own bed, feeling fine. Somehow.

No headache, no sore spots from anything stupid during the last night, no puncture wounds on my neck from the mistress as punishment. Nothing.

I sat up and blinked, trying to clear my head to remember what happened. Instead, I remembered all the things I had to do today, and all the things I put off from yesterday, and everything I'd have to do for the rest of the month and also everything I'd already forgotten about from last month.

The anxiety FLOODED in.

I swooned and lay back onto the bed. Okay, maybe I didn't feel totally fine. This was pretty extreme, though. Usually the perfect maid can choke back this kind of worry but right now it was far too much. I forced myself to move towards the bathroom, hoping to bathe it away, but I felt uncertain about every single step I took. What the hell was happening?

I eventually managed to disrobe, flopped into the bathtub, and grabbed my bar of soap and washcloth. As I nervously started attempting to work up a lather, something stung my hand. I looked down at it as my mind raced ahead of me to think of all the negative things it could be. Was it a scorpion? Was it a goddamn scorpion? What else could go wrong today?

In the middle of my left hand, there was a faded scar surrounded by magical sigils.

I blinked.

“Yep, that's still there.”

I suddenly recalled how the rest of the evening had gone.

 

* * *

 

“You girls – you're too sweet, hearing me out on all this,” I hiccupped.

“It's nary a problem, indubitably, I say!” Futo gargled back at me.

“It helps to get it off... your chest...” Youmu seemed half asleep, her phantom half dragging along in the dirt.

“Y'know, what I think is, is that we don't need anyone else!” I declared. I felt emboldened by the alcohol and camraderie. “We can handle just fine by ourselves, the three of us! We're going to be friends forever!”

“Indeed!” Futo shouted back.

“Mm... sure... heh...” Youmu muttered.

“Let's – let's make a pact – to share the burden our mistresses are putting on us!” I offered as though it was the perfect solution. “Well? What do you say?”

Needless to say the other two agreed readily.

We did a few things with my knives that I shouldn't describe, and we might have had to eat some amount of each others' flesh. It's very possible that any number of heinous things happened that night, and I'd rather not describe any of them in further detail.

A few hours later, well, there it was.

 

* * *

 

“No.”

“Did I really do that? It can't be, that's just too...”

“...let's close our eyes for a bit...”

...

“…and it's still on my hand. Damn it, I really messed up this time. Remilia's going to eat me alive.”

Well, there we were. I was not ready to deal with this. I spent a few minutes trying and failing to work up a lather, fiddling nervously in the tub, but my head would not clear.

So I'd managed to get us into a blood pact without even knowing how to do it? How could I be this foolish? How in the world did we manage it in the first place?

I started panicking about what the rest of the day would hold. Everyone in the mansion was going to lose trust in me and Remilia was going to kick me out and I'd have to go rely on Alice until I found something else. It was going to be a disaster and why won't this damn soap lather up and no no no calm down!

“Calm down Sakuya. This isn't like you. Focus.”

I took a deep, deep breath. My head started to cool down. In fact, I started to cool down in general. Why was this bath so damn cold, anyway? My eyes focused up and I looked down to see my dry washcloth caked with soap.

It struck me then that I had never filled the tub to begin with.

“Okay. Let's bathe, let's eat some food and compose ourselves, and then try to get some help before the Mistress finds out.”

 

* * *

 

“Mm. That's definitely a pact sigil.” Patchouli sipped her tea.

“Shi— shoot.” I massaged my temples, trying to rub away the headache that was laying siege to my skull. It didn't help. “Can you do anything about it, Patchouli?”

“Nope.” She took another sip of tea.

I felt the tiniest bit of murderous intent grasp me. “Dry humor aside, can you think of anyone who-”

“Can't.” Another sip. It figured that she would be like this. She was oblivious to the killer standing right in front of her. She was lucky I hadn't preemptively poisoned the tea.

Maybe next time.

Even more lucky for her was the fact that a certain demon was a lot better at reading the atmosphere than her. “Ah, uh, Patchy-sama! Miss Izayoi looks like she's about to stop time permanently for you, so let me take over from here!” It must have been showing on my face. When you have this much on your mind, it's hard to hide your emotions.

Koakuma pulled us away, out of earshot. “I feel your pain as a servant, Sakuya. It's frustrating when Patchy gets in these moods. It's a thankless job sometimes.”

I shook my head, but she continued, “Nope nope don't try to deny it, you're not hiding it well.” She tapped me on the nose.

I felt like crying from frustration. My head was too noisy, just far too noisy... but I had to look calm and collected for this sexy, friendly succubus so I pulled myself together like The Perfect Maid should. I exhaled deeply, brushed myself off, straightened my clothes out, cleared my throat, and nodded.

“That's better! Anyway! Lemme take a look here.”

Koakuma took my hand and glanced it over, squinting at some of the runes etched into it. “Ooh, you've got it bad, huh? But judging from the layout here, I think Futo might have it the worst.”

“Why?”

“You'll see. You oughta run this past your wifey-poo to see if she has advice.”

“Alice! I couldn't show my face in front of her right now.”

“Why not? She'll understand.”

I stammered back, “She won't! Alice will be embarrassed that I got myself into this mess, and I've barely gotten to see her in weeks... and it's so hard not being the perfect maid and being in this mindset where I'm stumbling over words and not thinking straight!”

Koakuma put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, scowling at me. “You gotta. I don't know everything about this, and Patchy's avoiding it. She's your best bet. She cares about you enough to help!”

“But-”

“YOU GOTTA! Just think of it as a chance to blow off some steam with her! I'll hold the mistress off while you get this taken care of. Get going!”

 

* * *

 

So I went to Alice's house.

As soon as I knocked, Shanghai was in my face giving me a solid swatting with a fan. Alice was shortly behind her, looking mildly extremely irritated.

“Hello Alice, so I made a blood pact and ruined my life, how are you?”

She tried to slam the door in my face, but I paused time long enough to slip through. Alice just sighed at that and sat down, clearly preparing to roast me.

“So. You don't show up for months-”

“-Weeks! It's only been five weeks. Please understand, Alice.” I tried to bow to her, but she turned away.

“And suddenly you need my help? Not even a kiss before you ask...”

“Just please take a look at it for me, I'm trying to take this seriously.” She didn't look my way, but she raised an eyebrow. ”I'd like to try and keep the other people I involved out of harm's way.”

Alice turned towards me. “Please, lovely lovey deary?” I pouted at her and her expression softened. She was just as easy to persuade as always.

“Sit.”

I did so.

Alice took my hand, had one quick look at it and immediately recoiled. “Nope.”

“What? Why?” I was shouting loud enough that Hourai and Shanghai both gave me a whack. “Ow!”

“I'm not touching this, Sakuya. Inherently magical beings can't interfere with this kind of thing. I'm shocked the succubus came anywhere close to you, it must have been painful. She must really care about you.”

I had a few things I wanted to say to that, but I didn't.

Alice stood and headed to the range to make tea. “I can at least give you a thermos of something warm, and some advice. The way I see it, you have three options.”

“Option one. Go see the black-white. She's not inherently magical.”

“Absolutely not. Just thinking about the toll she would extract from my body is turning my stomach.” She would probably extract it from my breasts, the pervert.

The kettle had accelerated to boiling already, thanks to a bit of magical coercion. “Option two. Go see the Buddhist-”

“No for the same exact reason, you know what a lecher she is!”

“Well your third option is to round up the jesters you made this pact with and undo it somehow. And yes, I'm aware you don't remember how you made it, you were drunk, I get it but _this is on you_.” She handed me the thermos full of tea. “Honestly, I'm lucky I haven't gotten dangerous levels of magical feedback from this thing yet. Get going.”

“Not even a kiss before you ask?” I pouted again. I'd have to make it up to her later.

Alice sighed and rolled her eyes, but she deigned to hustle over and peck me on the cheek. I heard a spark jump from my skin to her lips as she made contact.

“Ow! Okay, yeah that's plenty of feedback for one day, I'm going to have a fat lip... Get going, Sakuya! Don't come back until that thing's gone!”

 

* * *

 

As soon as I came within view of the hermits' temple in Senkai I knew something was very wrong.

Futo was napping on the front steps.

That girl was far too high-strung to ever nap. I didn't even know she needed sleep, or that she slept _at all_. With how her master had been lately I was shocked to see her relaxing at all. But judging from the symptoms I had, it seemed that anything could happen.

I jostled her shoulders. I'd rather wake her up and get her out of here quickly, for one reason. One very specific and annoying reason who would surely already knew I was here and would appear very soon. “Miss Futo? I hate to rouse you, but we need to talk. Immediately.”

“Mm?” She woke up and stared placidly up at me. “Hi, Sakuya. Nice day, man, heheh.”

Um? “You seem to be a bit under the weather from last night. I don't suppose you're still hung over?”

The short hermit stretched, rolled her shoulders out and let out a long yawn. “You know, actually, things are alright. I haven't got a care in the world right now.”

Um??? “You need to tell me what's going on with you, Futo.”

It didn't seem like my remark registered for a moment, but then she started, “Y'know I had an epiphany last night. After our meeting.” She squinted and clapped her hands together for emphasis. ”Does anything really matter?”

Ummm????????? “Y-yes, some things seem to.” Well she seemed to be doing wonderfully, and it was really getting on my nerves.

“Well, like, with stuff. You know?” She grinned.

“I'm afraid I don't. You're speaking and acting really strangely, Miss Futo.” What's the trouble with her? Didn't Koa think she would be the worst off? I couldn't see how this was worse than my state.

“Listen, Sakuya. All my life I've tied myself down with – religion, with all this.” She shrugged. “But it doesn't matter in the long run, does it? Everything's fine without it.”

Before I could open my mouth – “You! Fix her!”

Oh no thank you.

The great grand wonderful majestic Taishi-sama herself was storming at me from around the side of a building. Exactly the person I wanted to avoid here. My temples were already throbbing. “Fix her right this instant. You're involved. I saw what was on her hand and I know exactly what your desires were regarding it.”

I suppressed a groan. “Good morning to you as well, Miss Miko.”

“Don't you good-morning-miss-Miko me. This is serious. I don't want her being around irresponsible people like you! Fix her!”

“She doesn't seem to think this is so serious.” I gestured at the apostate, who was dawdling her way out into the fields around Senkai.

“It's VERY serious. She poses a threat to herself and the rest of us. Get her fixed, or take her and get out of here for good! I have nothing else to say to you when you've got that kind of attitude in your head! Goodbye!”

And with that, the beautiful perfect splendid Taishi-sama stormed off.

“I hope she knew my desire was for her to go the hell away.”

I _did_ want to ask why Futo posed a danger to the Taoists, but I would probably have gotten a long history lesson in something I really had no interest in at all right now. Though, I did notice the presence of something, nearby. Something dangerous, and lazy.

I wasn't able to pin down where it was after a few minutes scanning the area. However, it seemed best for my temper that we get out of here before Taishi-sama came and pestered us again. So I took Futo and flew off in the direction of the Netherworld.

“Why would you get your mistress that angry? That sounds like more trouble than it's worth.”

“She's a square, dude.” Futo was flying in corkscrews, dawdling behind me.

“A square? I don't know what that means. What is a 'dude'? What about your studies?”

“Don't wanna.”

I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. “Well, too bad. We're undoing this because I'm tired of dealing with everyone else's problems. This was a mistake.” And I dragged her along with me.

 

* * *

 

For what it was worth, the Hakugyokurou grounds looked fantastic from the air. Youmu really had been putting in her all. I just hoped she was okay, and that was only partly because I didn't want to deal with the repercussions.

Also, Yuyuko was drooling at my thighs. “Hiiiii ladies~! Nice to see some fresh meat around here. If you two don't just look so delicious--”

“Down, girl.” I pulled my leg away from Yuyuko, denying her an easy meal, and she fell on her face. “We didn't bring you any.”

She rolled over and pouted up at me. “Aww, and here I was getting all excited. What about your friend?”

I shot a glance back at Futo, who was napping against a tree trunk already. I still sensed something dangerous following her, but I still couldn't say what in the world it was... It seemed to be right here, yet very far away. It was possibly hunting her. We had to make this quick.

“Not her either. I need her to be alive at the end of the day, or whatever the hermit's equivalent of 'alive' is.”

I paused. Something seemed too normal. “Miss Yuyuko, I don't suppose you've noticed anything wrong with your gardener?”

“Hmm, nothing in particular.” She winked.

“Has she been acting funny?”

“No, she's fine but she's dead.”

“Dead?” My headache flared up again. I figured I wasn't going to like what I was about to see.

Leaving Futo to her slumber, I rushed back to the entrance and scanned carefully for any sight of Youmu. Luckily, one slapped me right across my calves.

“Down, girl.” Youmu emerged from behind a topiary to chide her phantom half, which was trying to hump my leg. It looked especially meaty today, and she looked rather less meaty than usual. Transparent, actually.

“Y-Miss Youmu? Are you okay?”

“I'm fine but I died,” she replied nonchalantly as she wrestled the meaty ghost orb away from me. All I could do was stare.

I eventually decided that my reply would be, “Is this okay? Is this, uhm, permanent?”

“Well, it's just like getting sick for humans, I suppose. I'll get better in a few days.” She shot me a glare as she hauled the phantom up under her arm. I saw a glint of steel. “Unless this was part of the pact...? Then I guess it would be permanent?”

I was sweating. I forgot how dangerous Youmu could be after seeing her half-asleep and drunk last night. And I wasn't really in a state to fight her if she got mad. “I don't recall. I couldn't say.”

She sized me up as the meaty kind-of-ghost-orb-thing squirmed under her arm. “With all due respect, Sakuya, I feel like you got us all into this without a full understanding of the subtleties. We may have all been drunk, but this was a lot more irresponsible than I've come to expect from you.”

I didn't reply for a moment – my head was on fire from her stress reciprocating onto me. “I'm sorry, Youmu. I felt desperate and I wanted a way out.”

She mulled that over. “Understandable. Either way, it seems clear what the subtleties are now.”

I replied helpfully, “I take on all the mental stress and get like – this, Futo takes on the spritual stress and goes apostate, and you take on the physical stress and die?”

Youmu sighed. “To be able to do something this extreme without knowing half the details of it, that's not common. You must have some innate magical skills we don't know about. I hope you at least know how to reverse it?”

That was something I could answer with certainty. I reminded myself to thank Alice for her advice later and to definitely poison Patchy's tea for not helping. “We need to all agree, unanimously, to renege on the pact. And I think both of us are fine with it, at least. Futo, on the other hand--”

Speak of the devil, it sounded like Futo was getting into trouble right then and there. A yelp, a crash, and a boom resounded from over the low hills of the estate. I saw smoke.

“I guess we have to see what that is?” I offered.

 

* * *

 

A few moments later we were both varying degrees of shocked and irritated at the scene that had apparently played out.

Futo was face down in the dirt, slightly on fire and probably out cold.

That lazy shinigami had her pinned down underfoot and was shouting something about hermetic trials.

Yuyuko was lounging against a gnarled tree, sipping an iced drink.

“Mistress, can you explain this?”

“Looks like the hermit's been slacking on her meditation lately. It's so funny to see Komachi getting this worked up~!”

I was so over this. I made a mental note to also poison her drink, but I'd have to find something that could kill a ghost first. “You're just going to let them tear up your front lawn and leave a corpse there?”

“That's Youmu's responsibility, isn't it? She's the caretaker.” She giggled.

Of course she was. “Can you at least pull some strings with the Yama? I know you two are seeing each other.”

That one seemed to strike a chord. Yuyuko glanced away. “I haven't got any idea what you mean.”

Finally something I could get an advantage with! This day was about to turn around. “Now that I think about it, didn't she give you this job as the guardian of the Underworld?”

The ghost sipped her drink.

I continued, “It would look really bad if this kind of thing got out. The tengu news would eat you up.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing at all! Just that sleeping with your employer seems rather a bit much, don't you think? People will ask all kinds of questions.”

“Ugh, fine. You're no fun, Sakuya.”

I grinned. “On the contrary, this is quite fun for me. I'm starting to understand why Remilia meddles so much in others' affairs.”

Youmu tapped me on the shoulder. “Let's not be like our mistresses, Sakuya. Nobody should have to deal with this”

“Ah... I guess you have a point.”

A short while later, we had pried the shinigami off of the unconscious Futo and bound her to a tree. We put out the fire that was spreading across Futo's clothes and woke her up. Then Youmu gave them both a good scolding. She was not pleased to have to clean up the yard after that. Naturally, I felt all of her irritation... I was glad this was probably almost over.

When the ghost returned with the Yama in tow, Komachi was in for a second round of scolding.

“Komachi. Explain yourself.”

Yuyuko was hanging off of Shikieiki. The small girl was tipping precariously to one side. “You've got one minute, Shiki~. After that, you're all mine. I need a reward after this tough customer roughed me up!” She made a face at me.

“Oh, please. You're part of the reason this happened,” I muttered.

Komachi looked rather eager for someone who was being yelled at. “I- she seemed like easy prey! I figured if I caught a hermit slacking off, you would praise me!”

“Idiot! That's not our job!” The jizo was leaning rather far over as the ghost snuggled her arm.

“It's not?” A dazed smile crossed her face.

“NO! Where did you get that idea?”

“Everyone says the shinigami's supposed to come kill the hermits! Or something!” Komachi clearly had no idea what she was doing.

Shikieiki was slumping onto the earth from the weight of Yuyuko on her. The ghost's public display of affection was becoming irksome. I was eager to get this over with already.

“Everyone said that? Did _I_ say that?”

“No...”

“And why did I not say that? Why do you think that is?” Yuyuko was starting to nibble on Shikieiki's neck. The jizo was dutifully paying her no mind.

My temples were throbbing. “Someone pry this girl off of her already.”

Youmu let out a puff of breath. “It's impossible. Trust me.”

“That's a big lie spread by the oni! It's a smear campaign! It's not our job at all and you shouldn't be interfering with the hermits!” Shikieiki sighed in frustration. Yuyuko was practically making out with her by now.

“Sorry, Mistress...”

“Just – don't let it happen again. Maybe if you pick up your other duties properly, you wouldn't have to compensate by doing stupid things like this.”

“Annnd time's up you're coming with me!” The jizo wasn't done scolding her subordinate, but her voice faded as Yuyuko hauled her into the estate. As soon as the door was shut, we heard many muffled noises that I'd rather not describe.

I cut Komachi loose of her bonds. “Don't bother us right now.” She flew off at once, sensing the blood in my voice.

I turned to Futo, who was trying to salvage her burnt clothing. “Well? Did you enjoy that?”

Futo groaned. “No.”

“Do you feel like a fool?”

“Absolutely.”

“And are we all going to go back on this oath now?”

In unison, they replied “Please yes.”

And with the breaking of the oath, our ordeal was over. Simple as that.

 

* * *

 

We all learned something that day.

Well, I assumed we did. None of us really talked to each other for a few months after that. The thing I learned, however, was to try not to do anything horrifyingly stupid when things get bad. A valuable lesson.

For my part, I went back to the Scarlet Devil Mansion and my normal life. Remilia still harassed me fairly often, but it was okay for the most part. I understood then that everyone needed their little ways to reduce their stress. It was fine.

It wasn't fine for very long.

Winter set in and I was getting fed up again. I was stuck in the mansion playing Remilia's head games all day. Patchy still hadn't succumbed to the poisoned tea (what? did you really think I wasn't going to follow up on that?), Koa and Meiling were just as busy as I was with their own tasks. And Alice had been distant since I'd failed entirely to free up more time for her.

I hit the breaking point yet again.

So I found myself at Mystia's stall ready to drink away my cares and, wouldn't you know it, Futo and Youmu were already there.

“We didn't have to wait long, did we?” Youmu smiled. Her phantom wriggled around frantically.

“Indeed not. It would seem that our mistresses become irascible in quite the predictable manner.” Futo grinned darkly, chuckling.

I felt a bit choked up that they had waited for me to start drinking. “Things always get so frantic close to the new year...”

“That's why we're here.”

“Verily!”

“I'm not sure what you mean.” I took a seat next to them and ordered us a round, and some of Mystia's grilled fish. I was sure it hadn't improved since last time.

“Well, we wanted to propose a new pact.” Youmu nodded.

“No.”

“Why ever not, miss Sakuya?” Futo sipped on a dish of miso.

“Didn't you two learn anything from the last time? No more blood oaths. No more stupid things like that. We need to deal with our own problems, we should just grin and bear it. Getting entangled is dangerous.” Why in the world were they even considering this?

“Didn't YOU learn anything, Sakuya?”

“I must agree with my phantasmal acquaintance. It's quite clear this is an advisable option!”

“You'll have to spell it out for me, Miss Futo, Miss Youmu. I'm afraid I really don't follow.”

“First – we should toast,” Youmu proposed.

“To health, to sanity, and clarity, I believe it was?” Futo winked. I just went along with them, not especially eager to get wrapped up in something like this again.

“Ah, that feels good. Sakuya - what we learned was that we can rely on each other. Or, rather that we can at least trust each other implicitly.”

“Indeed!”

“I suppose we're all in the same boat,” I hesitated to say.

“Dost thou not trust us?”

“I suppose that I do--”

Youmu ran over the end of my sentence. “People who trust each other should stick by each other. You have your fellow servants at the Scarlet Devil Manor, but we have... not much. We're on our own where we live.”

“The two lovers and the mistress with her jiangshi do not make exquisite company,” Futo muttered.

“Please don't close yourself off to us. We want to be your friends, Sakuya.” The phantom was wagging frantically in the air, telling me a lot about Youmu's mood despite her deadpan.

I thought for a while. Throughout my whole life, my social interaction was essentially restricted to fellow servants, faerie maids, and the occasional brush with the various powerful individuals of Gensokyo. “...I've never had a friend. I don't know what it would mean. I've never made friends with anyone.”

“You do, I say! You do have friends!” Futo slammed her hand on the counter.

Mystia scowled in our direction. “Keep it down, please.”

Youmu ignored her. “You rely on the people at the mansion, and you trust quite a few of them. You get to share your troubles and talk to people who you don't have to impress constantly.”

“That's not true,” I countered. “I've got to be the perfect maid at all times to keep morale up.”

Futo gesticulated wildly - “What my phantasmal compatriot means, is that you can be vulnerable around these personages! We know you can, madam. We have seen it, after all!”

“We have. We're seeing it right now.” Youmu's mouth curled up around the corners just slightly. Her phantom was bouncing off of the ceiling of the stall. Mystia looked totally exasperated already.

“I guess you're right.” I slumped down onto the bar.

“Wilst thou continue to be our friend, Sakuya? None of us should need, absolutely I say, to be strong on her own!”

“We'd really like it if we could keep helping each other out. Give each other a shoulder to lean on. That's the pact we want to make with you. We want to get closer to you, and to each other.”

“'Tis a pact of trust and companionship!”

The pair was beaming at me, but I couldn't make eye contact. I pressed my face into the bar. “How can you two smile like that? When you have to deal with so much from your mistresses every day?” I felt tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. “ _How_ can you be so kind and sweet and caring?”

They hugged me very, very tightly.

I cried for a long time, then I hugged them back, and then we got astoundingly drunk. And in the morning, I didn't have a hangover and I didn't have any new scars either. I had friends instead, and everything was going to be fine.


End file.
